We’re still pretty “new” as far as beekeeping goes. Newbies, if you will. See what I did there? Of course we’ve had ups and downs over the past few years, but overall I consider us successful beekeepers. The first year we didn’t take any honey from the bees, but the past two years we were able […]
Homestead Monthly: October 2016 {shiitakes, rare apples, and an unfortunate honey harvest}
Welcome to the homestead monthly, a collection of all the major events that happen on our homestead every month! Unfortunate Surprise Honey Harvest You may remember that I reported (just last month!) our meager honey harvest, and that all three of our colonies were full of plenty of honey and looking great going into winter. Well boy was I […]
Homestead Monthly: July 2016 {weasel trouble, chicks, and the great harvest begins}
You Dirty Weasel We started out the month with sadness and heartbreak, unfortunately. If you’ve farmed for long enough, or experienced the loss of an animal to predators, then you know the feeling. The “something isn’t right here” feeling. For us, it was when Karl went out in the morning to let the chickens and […]
Homestead Monthly: May 2016 {mushroom growing, bee swarms, and homestead loss}
Fungus Farming At the beginning of May, Karl and I took an all-day class about cultivating mushrooms, taught by a local mushroom grower and wild mushroom expert. We learned so much, and it immediately ignited a new fire in us… a fire to grow fungus! I actually can’t believe I never seriously considered this prior to learning about […]
Homestead Monthly April 2016 {honey bee update, seed starting, and a new family member}
I can’t believe it’s May already. I can’t believe spring is half over and we’re hurdling right towards summer! Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday everything was dead and there was 6-inches of snow on the ground?! The Bees are a Buzzin’ It was finally warm enough to crack open the hives after a long […]
How to Find the Highest Quality Raw Honey Advice from a Beekeeper
Beekeeping, it ain’t easy. Between Karl and I, we’ve been stung over 30 times in the past 2 years keeping bees (haha, most of those are Karl). Now, that includes taking on some bold projects for a couple of newbies, like catching swarms and removing a huge colony from the neighbor’s house. I’m not sure […]
Homestead Monthly: January 2016 {winter chicken-keeping, kitchen update and bee poop}
The winter months are definitely slower on the homestead. We have a lot of snow and cold here in Wisconsin- which calls for spending most of our time staying inside and trying to keep warm. That also means it’s time for indoor projects and spring planning! Kitchen Cabinet Face Lift Let it be known: painting […]
How to Make Beeswax Birthday Candles
In celebration of the year that you were born, you should have the finest. You deserve the Cadillac of birthday candles on your three-tiered, from scratch, chocolate cake with real buttercream. You’re nodding your head. Have you ever seen more adorable candles? The soft yellow wax, the rustic handmade look- have I mentioned that I like rustic […]
Homestead Monthly: November 2015
For it being one of the colder months… we really accomplished quite a bit on the homestead! On the blog I made vegetable stock powder, shared my no-cut way to cook a whole squash, recapped the best books for homesteaders, and wrote about weird chicken behavior during the molt. Hornet Nests and Honey Bees Karl was […]
Homestead Monthly: September 2015
Angry Bees We started out the month by angering a whoooole lot of honey bees. With the help of our mentor from the local bee club, we removed a three-year-old colony of honey bees from our neighbor’s house. It was estimated to be a couple hundred thousand bees! We set up scaffolding and came prepared with pry […]